Cats Battle in Two Hard-Fought Matches on Tuesday
Oct 10, 2023 | Men's Golf
HOCKLEY, Texas – The Kansas State men's golf team found itself in a pair of competitive matches on Tuesday during the second day of the Big 12 Match Play Tournament held at the par-71, 7,007-yard Houston Oaks GC.
The Wildcats suffered a 3-1-1 loss to No.1-seed Texas in the morning before a 4-1 defeat to Kansas in the afternoon, but nine of the 10 individual matches on the day were decided by three holes or less. The tournament schedule only called for one match on Tuesday, but expected inclement weather in the Houston area on Wednesday pushed the start of bracket play into Tuesday afternoon.
"It was a tough day today," head coach Grant Robbins said. "I thought we played really well against Texas as every match was competitive until the end. We just came up a little bit short. Hats off to Texas – they made a ton of clutch birdies down the stretch to get the win. Against Kansas, we just didn't make enough putts.
"Every team in this conference is really good, and the margin between winning and losing is so small, especially in this format," Robbins continued. "We just have to be better at converting opportunities to win holes because teams of this caliber aren't going to give you anything. I'm proud of how we are competing, but we just have to be better in all phases."
Junior Cooper Schultz produced a pair of 3&2 victories on the day, defeating Texas' Christiaan Maas in the morning before topping Kansas' Gunnar Broin in the afternoon.
Starting on No. 1 in the morning round, Schultz and Maas tied the first three holes before Schultz won Nos. 4, 6 and 9. Maas came back with a win on No. 10, but Schultz won No. 13 and the duo tied the next three to end the match.
In the afternoon, Schultz and Broin were tied through eight holes before the Andover, Kansas, native won three of the next six and tied the next two to conclude the match.
"I'm really proud of Cooper. He's gone out and played extremely well," Robbins said.
The Wildcats received a tie in the morning from sophomore transfer Alex Lindstrom, who jumped out to an early lead over Texas' Jacob Sosa. Lindstrom won three-straight holes after tying the first, but Sosa battled back to win three of his own over a six-hole stretch before the players tied the last hole to halve the match.
Senior Nicklas Mason fought back from a deficit in the morning as he was down two holes before winning Nos. 16 and 17, but Texas' Brian Stark birdied the final hole to win, 1 Up.
Luke O'Neill also suffered a 1 Up loss against Kansas' William Duquette as O'Neill was either tied or down one hole the entire afternoon.
Kansas State will face Iowa State during the final round of the 2023 Big 12 Match Play Tournament on Wednesday. Results can be followed at www.Golfstat.com.
The Wildcats suffered a 3-1-1 loss to No.1-seed Texas in the morning before a 4-1 defeat to Kansas in the afternoon, but nine of the 10 individual matches on the day were decided by three holes or less. The tournament schedule only called for one match on Tuesday, but expected inclement weather in the Houston area on Wednesday pushed the start of bracket play into Tuesday afternoon.
"It was a tough day today," head coach Grant Robbins said. "I thought we played really well against Texas as every match was competitive until the end. We just came up a little bit short. Hats off to Texas – they made a ton of clutch birdies down the stretch to get the win. Against Kansas, we just didn't make enough putts.
"Every team in this conference is really good, and the margin between winning and losing is so small, especially in this format," Robbins continued. "We just have to be better at converting opportunities to win holes because teams of this caliber aren't going to give you anything. I'm proud of how we are competing, but we just have to be better in all phases."
Junior Cooper Schultz produced a pair of 3&2 victories on the day, defeating Texas' Christiaan Maas in the morning before topping Kansas' Gunnar Broin in the afternoon.
Starting on No. 1 in the morning round, Schultz and Maas tied the first three holes before Schultz won Nos. 4, 6 and 9. Maas came back with a win on No. 10, but Schultz won No. 13 and the duo tied the next three to end the match.
In the afternoon, Schultz and Broin were tied through eight holes before the Andover, Kansas, native won three of the next six and tied the next two to conclude the match.
"I'm really proud of Cooper. He's gone out and played extremely well," Robbins said.
The Wildcats received a tie in the morning from sophomore transfer Alex Lindstrom, who jumped out to an early lead over Texas' Jacob Sosa. Lindstrom won three-straight holes after tying the first, but Sosa battled back to win three of his own over a six-hole stretch before the players tied the last hole to halve the match.
Senior Nicklas Mason fought back from a deficit in the morning as he was down two holes before winning Nos. 16 and 17, but Texas' Brian Stark birdied the final hole to win, 1 Up.
Luke O'Neill also suffered a 1 Up loss against Kansas' William Duquette as O'Neill was either tied or down one hole the entire afternoon.
Kansas State will face Iowa State during the final round of the 2023 Big 12 Match Play Tournament on Wednesday. Results can be followed at www.Golfstat.com.
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